COPA For Kids tops 10K mark

The COPA For Kids aviation program is a success, with more than 10,000 Junior Aviators flown since the start of the program, thanks to the efforts of COPA member pilots and volunteers across Canada.

To recognize COPA For Kids pilots, COPA National will be providing lapel pins to COPA Flights that hold these events for distribution to pilots flying Junior Aviators. And to highlight the efforts of volunteers, three COPA For Kids awards will be presented annually, sponsored by Ironshore*.

This is your opportunity to nominate someone who has made significant contributions to the overall success of the COPA For Kids program. COPA Flights and individual COPA Members are invited to nominate outstanding COPA For Kids volunteers for the following awards: Event Coordinator, Ground Support Volunteer, Imagine award (recognizing efforts that go beyond the basic COPA For Kids flight). Nominations will be accepted anytime but in order to be considered for any particular year they should be submitted by December 31st. Awards will be announced by the end of January. Nomination materials should include detailed descriptions of the accomplishments of the nominee, any relevant background information and letters of recommendation from fellow COPA members. Nomination forms can be found on the following link: www.copanational.org/files/CFK_IronshoreAwardNominationForm.pdf

The 2012 COPA For Kids Aviation Program was a great success with 3,149 Junior Aviators flown. That’s more than double the children introduced to aviation in 2009 when COPA members provided 1,365 children ages 8-17 a free flight.

In 2012 there were 70 events scheduled by 43 COPA Flights and some Flights organized up to four events during the year.

COPA would like to congratulate the top pilots of 2012. First place goes once again to Daryl Medd of Balzac, Alberta who flew 44 Junior Aviators. In second place, again this year, Henri Ilg of Richmond, B.C. who flew 43 and in third place, Donald Colter of Lion’s Head, Ont. who flew 38 children.

The top COPA Flight was Flight 65 Vernon, B.C. This Flight flew 268 Junior Aviators! Flight 5, Delta, B.C. came in second with 230 kids flown and Flight 68, Wiarton, Ont. was third with 199 kids flown. And, there were 10 other COPA Flights who each flew more than 100 kids during their events. Those are impressive numbers, congratulations to everyone who participated in 2012!

The names of all the pilots and participants were entered into our online logbook, which is on the COPA For Kids website www.copaforkids.org and also on EAA’s Young Eagles logbook http://youngeagles.org/logbook. The COPA Flights who participated last year did a great job of advertising their event within their community.

Some Flights placed ads in their local papers, ran messages on their local radio stations, and distributed fliers to schools and other youth groups.

Another great way of advertising your upcoming event would be to register your event on our website www.copaforkids.org/content/ManageEvents.cfm. It’s a great spot for parents to come and look for information about events in their area.

To ensure that your event will run smoothly and no one will be excluded, please read the COPA Guide to COPA For Kids (the newest edition is January 2013), which is available on our websites www.copanational.org and www.copaforkids.org.

On another note, pilots must provide a safety briefing to the young aviators and passengers emphasizing how to undo seat belts and open doors or canopy. Furthermore, to enhance safety for young aviators, COPA For Kids events should not take place simultaneously during any other “busy” COPA Fly-ins or other events. It is essential to note that only current COPA members may participate in this program as pilots and that all flights must be done as part of an event that is organized by a COPA Flight.

It is also important that all signed waivers be sent to our office for legal purposes and in order for pilots and participants to be entered into the logbook. Unfortunately COPA National is still struggling with a large quantity of COPA Flights requiring countless reminders and follow-ups to return the “signed and completed” registration and waiver forms to COPA’s Ottawa office. To date, six COPA Flights have not yet returned the required paperwork since June and July 2012.

We are insisting on the return of signed forms in order to ensure that COPA, the Flights and all volunteers are protected to the maximum extent possible. As the fifth year of the COPA For Kids Program begins, we hope that 2013 is as successful as last year and that even more children can learn about the joys of flying from our dedicated COPA members!

*Ironshore is the lead Underwriter for COPA’s VIP Aviation Insurance program and exclusive sponsor of the COPA For Kids Aviation Program. Go to this link for your aviation insurance needs: www.magnesaviation.com/copa/